Image: NASA/Kim Shiflett
SpaceX Crew-12
Mission Profile
| Launch date | 2026-02-13 |
|---|---|
| Launch site | Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida |
| Launch vehicle | Falcon 9 Block 5 (B1101.2) |
| Spacecraft | Crew Dragon Freedom (C212) |
| Target | Low Earth Orbit |
| Type | Crewed |
| Duration | Ongoing — planned increment of roughly 8 months (in orbit since 2026-02-13) |
| Partners | NASA, SpaceX, ESA, Roscosmos |
Overview
Crew-12 launched into an unusual staffing gap: Crew-11's medically shortened mission had left the International Space Station's U.S. segment running with a reduced crew for a month, and the quartet's liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 at 10:15 UTC on 13 February 2026 — Dragon Freedom riding Falcon 9 booster B1101 — restored the outpost to full strength with a Valentine's Day docking at Harmony's zenith port. NASA's Jessica Meir, who with Christina Koch performed the first all-female spacewalk in October 2019, returned to orbit as commander on her second flight. Pilot Jack Hathaway and ESA mission specialist Sophie Adenot — the second Frenchwoman to fly to space — are both on their first missions, while Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev returns for his second Dragon flight after Crew-6 in 2023. The 20th crewed Crew Dragon flight, Crew-12 is assigned an extended increment of roughly eight months spanning Expeditions 74 and 75, conducting research and station maintenance through 2026. As of June 2026 the crew remains aboard the station, approaching the midpoint of the planned increment, with return to Earth targeted for autumn 2026.
Crew
Jessica Meir
Commander
NASA; second spaceflight; performed the first all-female spacewalk with Christina Koch in 2019
Jack Hathaway
Pilot
NASA; first spaceflight
Sophie Adenot
Mission Specialist
ESA (France); first spaceflight; the second Frenchwoman to fly to space
Andrey Fedyaev
Mission Specialist
Roscosmos; second spaceflight; previously flew SpaceX Crew-6 in 2023
Key Milestones
2026-02-13
Liftoff from Cape Canaveral SLC-40 at 10:15 UTC — the 20th crewed Crew Dragon flight
2026-02-13
First spaceflights begin for NASA's Jack Hathaway and ESA's Sophie Adenot
2026-02-14
Dragon Freedom docked to Harmony zenith, returning the ISS to a full crew complement after Crew-11's early departure
2026-06-12
Mission ongoing — crew nearing the midpoint of a planned eight-month increment spanning Expeditions 74/75
Key Achievements
Restored the ISS to a full crew complement within a month of Crew-11's unprecedented medical early return
20th crewed flight of the Crew Dragon programme
Jessica Meir returned to orbit as mission commander on her second spaceflight
First spaceflights for NASA's Jack Hathaway and ESA's Sophie Adenot, the second Frenchwoman in space
Legacy & Significance
Still in progress, Crew-12 is already a demonstration of the rotation system's resilience: when a medical contingency compressed the station's staffing for the first time in NASA history, the next Dragon was launched into the gap and normal operations resumed within weeks. The mission extends the commercial crew cadence into its seventh year, pairs a veteran spacewalking commander with two first-time fliers from two continents, and — framed on the pad against the Artemis II Moon rocket at neighboring LC-39B — captures a moment when routine low Earth orbit operations and lunar ambition share the same skyline.
